Since of course you’re doing the College Board QOTD every day, you should focus on learning as much as you can from doing those questions. Prepping for the SAT is not just about learning rules and facts, but it’s also about learning what the SAT likes and what the SAT tests. Knowing what the SAT will test most frequently will give you an edge and make you more efficient on the test.

The Question of the Day from June 14th, 2013 was a great example of a common rule the SAT loves to test: modifiers! If you understand modifier rules, you’ll easily be able to pick up 4 – 8 questions every test, and that could translate to 80 more points for your Writing score.

So here’s the rundown on modifiers:

1. Descriptive phrases indicate modifiers are probably being tested (especially descriptive phrases at the beginning of the sentence).

2. Modifiers must be placed as close as possible to what they actually describe.

Example: Famous for his role in Spike Lee’s He Got Game, Ray Allen’s acting skill is far surpassed by his amazing jump shooting.

In the above sentence “Famous … Game” is the descriptive phrase that should be describing a person since only people can play a role. However, what follows the phrase is Ray Allen’s acting skill, which would indicate that the phrase is actually (and incorrectly) describing his skill rather than the man himself.

If you understand how modifiers are tested and know what to look for, you’ll be able to ace questions like the one above. Go ahead and give it a try and let’s hope you land in the 52% that got it correct!

Best of luck on your SAT, and if you need help preparing for the test check out Bell Curves courses and tutoring, sat.bellcurves.com.